AC Milan Starting To Show Glimpses of What Money Can Buy
AC Milan have had a very busy summer so far, spending around £161 million in an attempt to dethrone current Italian champions Juventus and land their first Serie A title since the 2010/2011 season.
Fans got a chance to see some of the new signings in a 4-0 thrashing of Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich in the International Champions Cup and it's safe to say that they would have been impressed with what was on offer.
Full Time / Fischio Finale
What a way to end our #2017ICC #fcbacm 0-4
14' @KessieFranck
25', 43' #Cutrone
85' @hakanc10— AC Milan (@acmilan) 22 July 2017
The opening goal came in the 14th minute in the shape of new signing Franck Kessie, with the Atalanta loanee powering home a lose ball from inside the area. Despite the wealth of players brought in by the Rossoneri, it was Italian U19 star Patrick Cutrone who stole the show in China, netting an impressive brace before another new signing, Hakan Calhanoglu, rounded off the scoring with a deft finish into the bottom corner from around 15 yards out.
Perhaps Milan's biggest coup of the summer was managing to prise away Juventus' defensive stalwart Leonardo Bonucci. The towering Italian defender had spent seven years at Juventus and was a mainstay in the team that has won back-to-back Serie A titles as well as losing in the final of the Champions League to Real Madrid in Cardiff back in June. The move shocked both fans and former players alike, with club legend Alessandro Del Piero even admitting that he thought the move was a joke when he first heard the news of the transfer.
Whilst the merit of friendlies continues to be a hotly debated topic, the importance of such a resounding win against a team of Bayern Munich's quality cannot be understated. Bayern fielded a strong team with most of their key players being involved at some stage and they even managed to bring new Real Madrid loan signing James Rodriguez off the bench for a short cameo. To put the result in some sort of context, Milan only managed a paltry sixth-placed finish in Serie A last year and finished a staggering 28 points behind leaders Juventus and with fans desperate to see money being invested into the squad over the Summer, new Chinese owner Li Hongyong looks to be delivering on his promise.
Perhaps more worryingly for the Rossoneri's rivals and indeed the rest of Europe is the fact that their summer spending doesn't look to be over yet. Milan look to be in the market for a striker to either replace Carlos Bacca or partner him up front, with the Colombian having another fairly solid if not uninspiring season in front of goal. The latest rumours are linking the Italian side with Borussia Dortmund striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and the prolific Gabon international could well be the missing piece of the puzzle. Aubameyang is good value at 4/1 with most firms to move to Milan before the season starts with various other offers and tips available via Footy Accumulators for punters who wish to add more selections to their bet.
Just as Everton seem to be doing across the pond in England, Milan are making it clear that they wish to mount a serious title assault on their respective league in the upcoming season. For a club with such a rich history in the game (Milan have won Serie A 18 times and have lifted the European Cup seven times), recent performances from the club in both league football and Europe have been extremely disappointing. AC Milan are still classed by many as giants of European football and their summer spending spree may just be the shot in the arm the club needs. One thing's for certain, the new owners look to be doing everything in their power to restore the club to its former glory.